Reyna
by Holly Chase
Summary: All credits to Rick Riordan and the singers/song writers. About Reyna.
1. Chapter 1

Reyna is sitting on her bed, thinking about Jason, about where he may be, how he may be…

*Flashback*

Jason and Reyna were on a hill overlooking New Rome and San Francisco. It was a place that Reyna used to come when she needed to be alone. A place she now shared with Jason. It wasn't the most beautiful place around, but it was private, and important to them.

When she first took him there, she had been afraid, afraid that she would scare away her best friend. Scared that she would make him run away. Instead, he had promised her that they were best friends, and they would always stick together.

He'd stayed with her, through thick and thin. When she held him too close, and when she pushed him away. Too kind, too understanding. And that was why he hadn't given up. Even when she hurt him and screamed and made scenes. Refused to see or talk to him. He'd always stuck to her, like an annoying body-guard, what he had been at first. When she shoved him out of her way, out of her life, he had returned, always come back to her. She would stab and cry and shout. Then he would wrap his arms around her and talk her back into her mind and body. The animalistic sense that would engulf her, would be blocked and taken away. She owed him her sanity. He helped her to remain strong, reminding her who she was, Reyna. And he would always return. And always understand.**  
**Her dark side could over power many beings, and the people of Rome did not know how to deal with her. Everyone has a dark side, but hers was a predominant feature. A feature that Jason took and changed. He changed her. She owes him for who she is today. Then one day, he took her back to their place, and told her that he loved her. She had whispered back, 'even with my dark side?' He had smirked, 'I love you for your dark side, just as your good half.'**  
**She wasn't picture perfect, neither was he, but together, they ruled New Rome, and it was worth it. They were worth it, and so was Rome. And he always loved her, even with her dark side. As she did to him. Until he disappeared.

He compared her to beautiful things, diamonds and rainbows. Diamonds, she would often think, a black, dark diamond. Stone hard, cold, unforgiving with a dark side. Yes, that was her. Rainbow? Not so much, his idea of a joke.**  
****  
**She found it hard to believe in herself, to believe in who she would become. She had nearly given up. He wouldn't, couldn't, let her. And then one night, she heard a noise coming from the next-door room, she knew who it was. She knew where he was going, the hill, overlooking the two halves of their kingdom.

'How?' He asked her, 'are we meant to do this, we are too young, too weak.' He bowed his head and sighed in defeat. She grabbed his face, forcing him to meet her eyes.

'Jason,' she said, 'you brought me this far, I did not follow you all this time for you to back out!'

He sighed again, 'I'm sorry Reyna.'

'Our age?' She continued, 'who cares, all that matters is that we can rule and fight, of which we can do both. And weak? Who are you talking about, we defeat people three times our age.' She cupped his face in one hand and placed the other over his heart. 'What matters is in here, bravery, courage and determination. I won't give up on you, if you won't on me, and we can do great things.' She gazed at the stars, and motioned towards them. 'Then we will have no boundaries.' And they could remind each other who they were.

Everyone has both light and dark in them, they loved each other for both halves. They weren't perfect, they knew that, then they were raised to praetors, both powerful and determined people. And it was worth every second of hard training and battle scars and branding burns onto her skin, every second. For they loved each other and their home, and they would fight for everyone. With their dark sides.**  
****  
**When she met him, she had been convinced that he would leave, he would run. They always did. She begged him not to, and he promised that he would stay forever. A promise that was soon broken. Broken, shattered, torn to pieces, forgotten. Crushed, helpless, alone, to face an uprising of loyal Romans and revolutions of the traitors. Alone to face a war. Alone to rule and fight. Too alone. She began to sing, softly and beautifully, like the sea caressing the sand.**  
****  
****There's a place that I know****  
It's not pretty there and few have ever gone** **If I show it to you now****  
Will it make you run away**

**Or will you stay****  
Even if it hurts****  
Even if I try to push you out****  
Will you return?****  
And remind me who I really am****  
Please remind me who I really am** **Everybody's got a dark side****  
****Do you love me?****  
Can you love mine?**

**Nobody's a picture perfect  
But we're worth it  
You know that we're worth it  
Will you love me?  
Even with my dark side?**

**Like a diamond****  
From black dust** **It's hard to know****  
It can become****  
A few give up****  
So don't give up on me****  
Please remind me who I really am**

**Everybody's got a dark side****  
Do you love me?****  
Can you love mine?****  
Nobody's a picture perfect****  
But we're worth it****  
You know that we're worth it****  
Will you love me?****  
Even with my dark side?**

**Don't run away****  
Don't run away****  
Just tell me that you will stay****  
Promise me you will stay****  
Don't run away****  
Don't run away****  
Just promise me you will stay****  
Promise me you will stay****  
****  
Will you love me? ohh****  
Everybody's got a dark side****  
***End Flashback*

Jason was out there, he had left her to face all the troubles, dilemmas and wars of New Rome alone, and she wasn't sure if she could ever forgive him. He may have healed her dark side, but now he was gone. She was desperate. Desperate for help, guidance of any sort. But she was Reyna, praetor of the twelfth region, people looked to her, she had nobody. Alone. It was a twisted word and a cold cruel world, a little like how she used to be. She saw now in the mirror, a gleam of fear that hadn't been there before. But she was now used to it. As she was used to the aloneness, and the revolts and uprisings and insults. She needed Jason back, but that didn't mean she would admit it, she was a diamond with a dark side, and she refused to be beaten.


	2. Chapter 2

Reyna sighed thinking back to the senate meeting, disaster. She had nearly gutted Octavian like he did to his teddies. In the briefest moment of sanity before she lunged across the table, dagger in one hand. She had heard Jason's voice berating her.

'Reyna…' It had echoed around her head. 'Don't, he'll use this against you, unstable, don't give him a reason…'

'He doesn't need a reason.' She grunted, how dare he give her instructions when he wasn't there, he had deserted her! 'He's turning my people against me little by little, I need to take action.'

'Not this action Reyna listen, bulletproof… remember?' Of course she remembered. Bulletproof, it was their way of dealing with things. Pretend it didn't hurt, ignore the insults and the threats, continue calmly. Fake it.

'Just walk away.' He used to say. 'Pretend and continue.' It was easy for him to say, he was gone, he had left her to rule. _And she couldn't do it!_

She sucked in a deep breath. She could, would, do it. She had to. Ignore them…

Octavian doesn't matter, I won't listen to him, just ignore him. I won't listen to a word he says. I'll talk over him, show the people who is boss. I don't care if I don't say much or repeat stuff, as long as he can't turn my people against me, as long as it stops him talking.

He can put me down and criticize me all he wants, but I won't back down. The insults and jeers will bounce off me, as will the threats and lies. He can shoot at me all he likes, but it won't work, I'll just keep coming back, to do what I must do, I don't care_. I will get back up._

I'm completely bulletproof, I've nothing left, nothing he can use against me. A knife and a sword is all I need. He can fight me with words or swords, adjectives or gold_. I will prevail! _I have nothing to lose, apart from… apart from… no nothing. No weaknesses. Remember, bulletproof.

He takes aim. Firing at my weak points, my friends, my sister and mother, my Kingdom… But he can fire all he likes. _Because it won't work!_Everything will bounce off me, like bullets off titanium. Yes titanium. That's what I am. I won't fall, I won't let him win. He can fire and shout, but I won't back away. I am Reyna. Never will I back down. I'm bulletproof, like titanium, I _am_ titanium.

He can cut at me, who I am. But I won't fall and he will. And he will fall so much further… Down, down and I shall be victorious! In the city of ghosts, New Rome, I will win, he will fall and I will forget Jason, who has haunted me. Mm haunted love. He can shout louder, but nothing can hurt me, least of all words. I'll scream louder than him. Drowning him out. I won't be saying anything new, but it doesn't matter.

I'm completely bulletproof, I've nothing left, nothing he can use against me. A knife and a sword is all I need. He can fight me with words or swords, adjectives or gold_. I will prevail! _I have nothing to lose, apart from… apart from… no nothing. No weaknesses. Remember, bulletproof. He takes aim. Firing at my weak points, my friends, my sister and mother, my Kingdom… But he can fire all he likes. _Because it won't work!_Everything will bounce off me, like bullets off titanium. Yes titanium. That's what I am. I won't fall, I won't let him win. He can fire and shout, but I won't back away. I am Reyna. Never will I back down. I'm bulletproof, like titanium, I _am_ titanium.

Like a diamond, stone hard, fired from a machine gun, raining down on cowards. Victory will be mine. No one can run. I'll be a diamond, so I'll be bulletproof. Yes, bulletproof.

He can shoot, try to kill and injure with his words. But I refuse to be cowed, refuse to back-off. I shall fight, till my final breath. Because, that is the way to win. And win is what I must do.

**You shout it loud****  
****but I can't hear a word you say****  
****I'm talking loud not saying much****  
****I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet **** you shoot me down, but I get up**

**I'm bulletproof nothing to lose  
fire away, fire away ricochet, you take your aim  
fire away, fire away  
you shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
you shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
I am titanium…**

**Cut me down****  
****but it's you who'll have further to fall****  
****ghost town, haunted love****  
****raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones****  
****I'm talking loud not ****saying much**

**I'm bulletproof nothing to lose  
fire away, fire away  
ricochet, you take your aim  
fire away, fire away  
you shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
you shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
I am titanium…**

******Stone-hard, machine gun****  
****Firing at the ones who run****  
****Stone-hard, thus bulletproof**

**You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
you shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
you shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
you shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium**

She stopped singing, she hadn't even realized that she had started. Yes bulletproof, a diamond, _titanium._

'See, bulletproof.' Whispered the Jason in her head.

'Yes,' she murmured. 'Now shut up!"


	3. Chapter 3

Reyna sat in the stable with Skippy. She just wanted to fly off and never come back to the chaos and order that was New Rome. She wanted to forget him, how he had left. She wanted to pack up and leave. Watch his shadow fade out of her life, never to return. She thought that he had meant what he said. Had every kiss, every word, been a lie? It was like he had crushed her and thrown her far away into an abyss. It was as if she was poison that he spat out. He had taken most of what she had, drained her completely. 'But that was then, think about the present Reyna.' She thought. 'Just let him look at me!'

'There is one part that he can never take, my heart in pieces, my mind despairing but my soul and spirit cannot be crushed. That is that bit of me he will never get to, never have. Never. He can hit me, and slap me, fight me and beg me. But he's not going to leave me even more broken than now. He can never take my soul.'

Another message flashed up onto her mobile screen, she sighed and pressed the delete button. She wanted to throw away her phone and her laptop, and her praetor medal and her heart, it was in tatters anyway. All she needed were the people really there for her, she didn't have many of them left. He left me hanging, and never came back. Their love wasn't perfect, but only now could she see how many cracks really separated them. She would never forgive him. When she needed him most, he was gone, he had let her down, dropped her. Only at that point had she realised how much she had needed him. But that was then, and she had become stronger and wiser. Yes it still hurt, but it was manageable. If he just saw her now, how far she had come. Then he should be quaking in his boots until the day she hunted him down. 'Just look at me!'

She's like a firework, spreading passion, showing the light. She glows and shines, just look at her. He won't put out her spirit again, for this time she'll be ready. 'He can keep everything, I didn't like the stuff anyway (who am I kidding?)' She thought. But he can take everything back, she will be better without it. 'Everything, except for me!'

**Days like this I want to drive away  
Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade  
You chewed me up and spit me out  
Like I was poison in your mouth  
You took my light, you drained me down  
That was then and this is now  
Now look at me**

This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
Throw your sticks and stones  
Throw your bombs and your blows  
But you're not gonna break my soul  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

**I just wanna throw my phone away  
Find out who is really there for me  
You ripped me off, your love was cheap  
Was always tearing at the seams  
I fell deep and you let me drown  
But that was then and this is now  
Now look at me  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
Throw your sticks and stones  
Throw your bombs and your blows  
But you're not gonna break my soul  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no**

**Now look at me, I'm sparkling  
A firework, a dancing flame  
You won't ever put me out again  
I'm glowing, oh woah oh  
So you can keep the diamond ring  
I never liked them anyway  
In fact you can keep everything  
Yeah, yeah  
Except for me**

This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
Throw your sticks and stones  
Throw your bombs and your blows  
But you're not gonna break my soul  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

This is the part of me, no,  
This is the part of me, me, me, me, me, me, no  
Throw your sticks and stones  
Throw your bombs and your blows  
But you're not gonna break my soul  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

She tore at the necklace that had been fastened around her neck, pulling it off. The tiny beads shattered as the string broke. Reyna threw the jewellery as far as she could. Then she pulled out her dagger, she had a long search ahead. One day she would find him, she vowed, and I will make him wish he had never been born!


End file.
